Gce O-Level Exams Past Papers With Ans

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1123 Paper 2 Guidelines

http://www.slideshare.net/SaimaAbedi/1123-paper-2-guidelines

Directed Writing: Example of Account Writing

Write an account on a marriage ceremony that took place in a county near your residence.

• Was there anything unusual about the marriage?
• How were the arrangements made?
• Write how did the festival end?

A typical Amish wedding day begins at 4’o’clock in the morning. After all, the cows must still be milked and all the other daily farm chores need to be done. There are also many last-minute preparations to take care of before the wedding guests. Helpers begin to arrive by 6:30 a.m. to take care of last-minute details. By 7:00 a.m., the people in the wedding party have usually eaten breakfast, changed into wedding clothes, and are waiting in the kitchen to greet the guests. Some 200 to 400 relatives, friends and church members are invited to the ceremony, which is held in the bride’s home.
The ‘Forgeher’, or ushers (usually four married couples), will make sure each guest has a place on one of the long wooden benches in the meeting or church room of the home. At 8:30 a.m., the three-four-long service begins. The congregation will sing hymns (without instrumental accompaniment), while the minister counsels the bride and groom in another part of the house.
After the minister and the young couple return to the church room, a prayer, Scripture reading and sermon take place. Typically, the sermon is a very long one.
After the sermon is concluded, the minister asks the bride and groom to step forward from their seats with the rest of the congregation. Then he questions them about their marriage to be, which is similar to wedding vows. The minister then blesses the couple. After the blesses, other ordained men and the fathers of the couple may give testimony about marriage to the congregation.
That is when the festivities begin. The tables are set at least twice during the meal, depending on how many guests are invited. The tables are laden with the ‘roast’ (roast chicken with bread stuffing”, mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed celery, coleslaw, apple sauce, cherry pie, butter and jelly.
After dinner, the afternoon is spent visiting, playing games and matchmaking. The evening meal starts at 5:00 p.m. which varies from a typical menu. The day usually winds to a close around 10:30 p.m.
Assessment:

• An example for an informative account.
• The aim is fulfilled by providing detail information about Amish’s wedding. It begins by stating ‘where’ and ‘when’ the occasion commenced.
• Later, the account graduates in eliciting the proceedings in a sequential pattern. The writer does not hover to and fro between events.
• The writer presents a list of events threaded together without delving emotionally into any one particular incident (like we have in narratives and descriptive essays).
• Herein, we come across lists of eatables (gravy, butter, stew chicken..), use of numbers (200 to 400) and time references (7:30 a.m.,4’o’clock…) to confirm the factual information for an account.
• The writer keeps himself aloof through using ‘third person’ rendering his account an impersonal tone. However, if a first person pronoun ‘I’ was used it should be kept in mind it must have been used sparingly and without indulging into unnecessary details.
• The candidate intelligently uses present tense as if the account is recorded in the present moment. This also verifies the writer’s command on written accuracy. Similarly, there are no shifts in tenses for instance from present tense to past tense or future tense. An account should be written in one tense-often past tense. (Try writing the same account in past tense, you would see that could be applicable as well.) This account could also be written in past tense.
• The account closes smoothly, unlike in reports where sometimes suggestions/personal opinions are added in the end.
• No signature of the writer is required in an account at the end.

Source: First Language English, The Cambridge English Revision Guide, IGCSE English, CIE discussion forum

CIE’s requirement regarding a Newspaper Report: An Example

Rescuers find trapped student caver alive

Eight Swiss potholers trapped in a cave in eastern France by rising water were found alive yesterday. Rescue teams were preparing to work through the night to bring them to the surface.

Known as Bief-du-Paraud, the cave, which runs for 415 yards but only about 20 feet below the surface, is normally considered a beginner-level site for potholers.

The expedition had been part of a project for the students to develop their ability to face challenges.

Inexperienced, poorly equipped and with one of the group being partially blind, the students were initially given little chance of survival.

The potholers had entered the long narrow cave on Wednesday despite warnings from local people to stay away because rain in recent weeks had made the area dangerous.

Hope for survival of the three women and five men – students and a teacher in their twenties – had been fading when they were found before midday by a driver who swam through a narrow passage to reach a chimney where they had taken refuge.

The diver had discovered them crouched in the corridor above the water level 75 yards into the cave at Goumois in the Doubs department, 30 miles from the Swiss border. They had been trapped there for nearly 40 hours by sudden flooding on Wednesday.

Distraught relatives who had gathered at the site gave a cheer when news of their discovery was announced. The group was expected to be brought out through a hole being drilled into a chimney where they had taken refuge.

Rescuers were pumping water from the cave to avert flood danger from heavy rains over the past 24 hours. Two divers, one of whom is a doctor, where spending the night with the students in the chimney. They brought them food and water and heating appliance.

‘The group took refuge in a dry spot in a chimney, ’Eric Zipper, technical adviser informed. ‘They are in good shape considering their ordeal. They are hungry and a little weak. They have very little food left, but they are in good spirits. There was no panic. They had a little light because they had rationed their batteries.’

Local potholing experts described the expedition as foolhardy, given the dangerous prevailing conditions. ‘They were equipped only with walking shoes, jeans and anoraks’, M. Zipper said.

Markus Braendle, director of the Social Workers College of Zurich, where most of the students came from, asserted: ‘I am so happy this nightmare is over’.

The French authorities are expected to start a legal inquiry into the conduct of the group’s leader, a normal practice in such incidents.

Assessment

1. Newspaper reports are often confused with reports written to the principal or some other authority or personnel.
2. A newspaper report always begins with a heading, a more precise or an accurate term is a HEADLINE, as we have here in the above example. (See my Format of newspaper report for details). Other reports would begin with a subject stating what the report is about or they may have no subject at all (depending how the examiner demands the candidate to open his/her report. Also see my example on report writing for a better understanding).
3. Some newspaper reports also have a sub-headings either immediately after the headlines or some where in between the text. Those are just to reiterate certain points or draw the attention of the readers on certain matters. There isn’t any here.
4. You would have noticed from the above example that unlike other accounts of events, newspaper reports generally follow this pattern as written below.
5. The first paragraph or the first few sentences state the summary of the recent event you are writing about. This would include answers to the questions of Who?What?When?Where? relevant to the event. It in actual summarizes the facts about what happened.
6. The report proceeds with answering the queries of ‘How’ and ‘Why’?’ it happened at a stretch of a few short interlinked paragraphs. The report expands in covering the background details of the story or event. In the above example it is written in six short paragraphs.
7. Then it further returns to the immediate situation i.e. to proceed towards the description of what is happening now. Here it is described in two paragraphs: 7 and 8.
8. The next step is to record the responses of those involved. This includes the official statements by the authorities involved. E.g here we have statements given by a technical adviser, a local potholing expert and the director of the Social Workers College of Zurich, all illustrated in three separate paragraphs.
9. In the end, the report looks ahead to the near future as we have in the last paragraph above.
10. This report is adapted from “The Times, 19 May 2001, therefore, the word count is approximately 470 words, perhaps as required.  In that respect, students may cut short the explanation part where they have to describe about the background of the event to keep within the word limit of 200-300 words as demanded in the GCE O-level examination English Paper 1- directed writing.
11. The language is kept simple yet very precise using Standard English readable for a general audience. Short and compound sentences are  linked with and, so, but.
12. There are short paragraphs – some even consisting of one sentence.
13. Direct Speech is added to give an authentic touch to the report. In the examination the candidate may have to assume certain situations.
14. In the reported speech the verbs should not be repeated. There should be variety of verbs introduced e.g ‘asserted, confirmed, said’.
15. Vocabulary should be kept sensational to give a sense of drama. This should not be confused with using emotions. Remember! Reports should not have any emotional response or personal views of the reporter, or any direct address to the reader.  In the above example the drama has been kept intact by using words inexperienced, poorly equipped, partially blind, Hope for survival had been fading etc.
16. Good luck! 

Source: IGCSE First Language English.

Example of Summary Writing with CIE Examiner’s Assessment.

Read the passage below and write the content points on ‘The Problems’ faced by the small farmers in the developing countries and the ‘Ways they are being helped’ to overcome the problems. Then make use of the content points are write summary of 160 words about the problems and the ways they are tackled.

Paying fair makes life sweeter for growers

Juanita Garcia is a coffee farmer living high in the Nicaraguan hills. We met at the end of her long, back-breaking day. Her house, miles from her small farm, is simple. Outside are a few bananas and orange trees, inside a bed, chairs, an open fire, a few months’ corn supplies. No decoration, no ornaments, no frills.

Juanita summed up her aspirations. What she wanted for herself, her family and community she said, was just ‘a life of dignity’. Until recently there was little chance of that. The world market that bought her small crop was always precarious and unstable. The coffee went through the hands of dozens of middlemen all taking their cuts. The price yo-yoed around but mostly was near the basement. Life for her and the others in her community was uncertain, poverty-stricken and with little hope.

Several years ago, the Fairtrade Foundation in London helped put her co-operative in touch with a British chocolate maker who wanted to offer a new quality bar. It now buys directly from the co-operative farmers on the alternative European ‘Fairtrade’ market ata price guaranteed at or above the world price. The few pennies more that the consumer pays in Britain go directly to the farmers to help themselves develop. ‘We didn’t make enough money to live on before Fairtrade’, said Juanita. ‘Now we get a better price and the money comes directly to us. Now we have hope’.

Talk to small farmers around the world about their aspirations and few mention money. Words like ‘dignity’, ‘pride’, ‘hope’, and ‘decency’ keep coming up instead.

In the Dominican Republic, Jose Rodriguez, a small cocoa farmer, said: ‘I am not in search of money. I just want everybody to have the means to a decent life. ‘Fairtrade has given him and the 8,000 other small farmers who make up the Conacado association and sell to British chocolate makers that hope, he says.

In Costa Rica, Arturo Jimeneza Gumez came to a co-operative selling Fairtrade bananas after laboring on one of the giant US-owned banana estates. Now he is a small farmer in his own right, and believes Fairtrade had changed his life: ‘Maybe we are only farmers but we have the right to dream and to plan for our children. Our dream is that our look on us as human beings. I thank God for the Fairtrade system.’

In St. Vincent, one of the four Windward islands that supply Britain with many of its bananas, Renwick Rose works with a group trying to persuade British supermarkets to offer Fairtrade bananas. ‘When you buy a cheap banana (one sold on the conventional market) you are unwittingly participating in the exploitation of labour. There are children, mothers, fathers and blood sweat and toil behind that banana. Fairtrade is not just asking you to pay more- but just what it costs.’

Phil Wells of the Fairtrade Foundation says at least 500,000 farmers around the world are probably now benefiting from Fairtrade.‘The point, though, is that very many millions, the bulk of small farmers around the world, are suffering terribly.’ He says. The House of Commons, now sells Fairtrade coffee, as does the European parliament, and with help it should be possible to get for more people with a professed social conscience to follow suit.

Actress Julie Christie, a Fairtrade supporter, said: ‘The world has reached a stage where consumerism triumphs over all. Conversely, our role as consumers is one of the powers left to us. Fairtrade makes our decision easier- we know that Fairtrade-marked products are produced without exploitation.’                                                                                       The Guardian

Content points:

• The candidate after marking the points in the text has written them in his own words. For example instead of ‘long, back-breaking day’ the candidate writes hard and tiring’. Similarly in place of ‘world market’ being ‘precarious and unstable’ it is changed to ‘uncertain and volatile’ so on and so forth. The candidate can copy the phrases as it is from the text. No marks will be deducted if the points are picked/lifted as it is from the text, however, changing the points into substitute words would allow the candidate to write the summary in a better manner. Remember, a summary has to be written in your own words and in simple language .

 The Problems

Paying fair makes life sweeter

1. The work is hard and tiring
2. The farmers have to sell their produce in a volatile and uncertain world market
3. They have to sell through middle men
4. Which means that the farmer’s profit is negligible
5. This leads to the farmers living in near poverty
6. Their lives are lacking in hope and dignity
7. The farmers and their families are exploited for the labour
8. They cannot make secure plans for their children.

Ways in which they are being helped

1. Fair trade arranges for (European) food manufacturers to buy direct from small-farmer co-operatives
2. This gives the farmers an alternative outlet they can sell at a price guaranteed the same as a higher than the world price
3. The extra cost paid by the consumer goes direct to the farmers
4. This gives the farmers hope and restores their independence
5. British supermarkets are being encouraged to stock Fairtrade goods
6. Fairtrade wants to pull an end to exploitation
7. It is working hard to get support from a range of
8. people with social consciences.

 There are two responses given here:

Candidate’s Response 1

Small farmers in the developing world work long hours. They make very little profit from their crops because they have to sell through middle men who take a large share of the profit. The world market is uncertain and because the farmers are unable to store their crops, they are not able to wait to get the best price. They live very poor lives and their futures are uncertain. Some international organizations, however, are doing what they can to help the small farmers. An organization called ‘Fairtrade had arranged for food companies in ‘Europe to but direct from groups of small farmers at a price guaranteed to be or above the world price. The consumers in Europe pay a little more for goods sold in this way, but small amount of money to them makes a great difference as the profit goes directly to them; this gives the farmers hope and helps to make them independent.

Candidate’s Response 2

Small farmers are very back-bracking. Their houses are miles form farm. Crops are precarious and unstable and they go through the hands of dozens of middlemen who take there cuts. Few of them mention money. Words like decence and pride keep coming up instead.

Senegalese onions are very good quality and cheaper than their Dutch counterparts. Surely, a consumers dream. They do not get much money and the government does not want to do anything to help them.

Fairtrade is an organization that helps people to buy chocolate.

Assessment

• Summary 2 is a C or perhaps an ungraded one while summary 1 is an A. Lets see why!
• Once the candidate has jotted down all the points he now rearranges them in a paragraph form. He/she has added all the content points in his/her summary but it is not necessary to write them in the same sequence as jotted above.
• The candidate uses different colours to chalk down the points e.g  the problems are highlighted in red colour and the ways to help the small farmers are marked in blue. This will help avoid confusion while the candidate jots the content points.
• In the first response of the summary the sentences are kept short, simple and changed accordingly keeping in mind that the purpose of a summary here is to inform. In contrast,the sentences in the second response are fragmentary and replete with spelling mistakes.
• When summarizing a text no quotes or examples ( Phil Wells , 50o,000 farmers are benefiting,House of Commons,four Windward islands  e.t.c), are included from the original text therefore, the candidate has omitted all the illustrations cited in the text and focused only on the core points. No quotes are present in the second summary as well.
• The information provided here is complete and concisely written in approximately 155 words. That means the candidate does not exceed the word limit of 160 words as required in the question. There are many irrelevant points added in the latter response. Moreover, the length it is extremely short up to 88 words) which is not up to the standardised criteria of summary writing.
• Summary 1 is written entirely in own words and no sentence is lifted from the text. Remember, no marks will be given if the summary is copied because the examiner wants to know how you have interpreted the text which he will assess through the summary you have written.
• You can shuffle your content points but keep in mind whatever manner you write the points and sentences should be linked.
• In the first example, instead of repeating ‘and(s)’ and ‘but(s)’, see how the candidate has linked all the points with transition words (because, however, but, and) giving continuity to thoughts.
• It would have been better if the summary had been divided into two paragraphs because this would have proportionate  ideas divided in the  two parts of the content points i.e. ‘problems faced by the small farmers’ and ‘the help provided to them’. However, it is still written in a coherent manner, therefore marks will not be deducted. Unlike the second summary is incoherently written with no proper proportion of ideas.
• Nearly all content points are nicely weaved into the summary in the first. There is no track of content points in summary 2.
• There are no spelling mistakes and no grammatical errors in the former. In the latter there are many spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Difference between Account Writing and Report Writing

1.  An account may or may not have any subject line at all. To begin with a date written on the top would do as well.
2. Accounts must direct the reader in the right order as what and how things had exactly happened. Unlike other reports the first paragraph must necessarily answer the questions of ‘What’, ’Where’ and ‘When’ followed by the explanation about the incident. The arrangement of paragraphs may vary. Indeed, accounts must surely have answers to these questions, even if written in a non-chronological manner as that of a report. The candidate, if he/she, desires can choose the same format of a report (see my post about the format of report writing), however, he/she is not restricted to follow the same chronological pattern.
3. NOTE: The candidate should not jumble the sequence of the event, they should be presented in the right order. The candidate cannot move to and fro between incidents as he/she desires. (Remember do not confuse account writing with descriptive narratives wherein this is permitted)
4. What is an ‘account’ then? ‘If the candidate comes across the word ‘account’ in a continuous writing title (section 2-paper 1) then he/she would think of it as a story or narrative. However, in directed writing the word ‘account’ is much closer to a report, a much more factual, informative piece of writing. It must be a report-type account.’
5. The tone of an account totally depends on to whom the account is written. If the question clearly states that the account should be written to a headmaster or an inspector/a police personnel, then it is pretty obvious that the tone should be formal, polite and respectful. On the other hand if the question does not mention the recipient at all then the examiner expects the candidate to self-assume his /her recipient and write abiding by the rules of using a suitable register for the recipient (formal or informal).
6. An account can have personal feelings. The candidate may, therefore, choose emotive language and sensational words and phrases as far as those assist in providing relevant information to the recipient. (Remember! Here the purpose is to inform not to entertain) Thus, baseless emotions and excessive exaggeration would not help the candidate in getting marks.
7. There isn’t much of a discrepancy between a report and an account. Only that in an account the ‘I’ pronoun isn’t restricted to a greater degree.
8. Accounts also require a detailed analysis of the event witnessed through the eye of the spectator (you/candidate) restricting within the boundaries of providing factual details.
9. The candidate is free to give his opinion about the event. He may provide suggestions to certain matters even if he/she isn’t asked to.
10. The sentences can be varied in style and structure conforming to the details and information being provided.
11. Unlike other reports an account can be written in an active voice.
12. Account Writing is also made easier as the candidate is guided about what to include in his/her answer, in the form of bullet points (rubrics) which are to be used as the basis for planning and structuring the answer. These rubrics also assist the candidate in assuring that he/her hasn’t left out anything essential and that the answer is well organized and developed, thus, the material to be added in an account should not be problem for the student.
13. Check out my post for the example of Account Writing.
14. Good luck
15. Do not exceed the word count i.e 200-300 words.
16. Avoid contractions and use past tense to write the account. (as the event has already occurred)

Source: The Cambridge English Revision Guide, First English Language, CIE discussion forum

Learn to write a Summary

Summary Writing

Examination tips

1. To begin with, read the question before you embark on reading the text. This will help you to identify which paragraphs are selected for note taking and summary writing. For instance ‘read paragraphs 2 to 9’. Even if the identification of paragraphs is not given in the question. Instead of aimlessly reading the text, the reading of the question would guide you about what exactly is asked.
2. Read the text at least 3 times. The number of readings depend on the skill of the student. While some may take a little longer others may understand the text in 2 readings . However, a slow and a close reading of the text is recommended. During the examination, it is advisable to sub-vocalize and hear yourself reading. Experts consider this technique a two-way process of reading and listening which helps the reader understand the text in a better manner.
3. In section 1 paper 2, students are supposed to write 15 content points on two aspects e.g advantages and disadvantages, cause and effect etc. So, in this regard it would be best if two different colours are used to mark the content points of two different aspects (see my post about the example of summary writing). At times students are not allowed to take along different colour markers, in that case, to avoid inconvenience it would be better to use a blue pen and a black pointer. You will see the difference!
4. To fasten your reading pace one best tip is to go through the first 2 lines of a paragraph. The initial lines usually contain the Topic Sentence of a paragraph. These lines are the guiding lines as they anticipate the topics discussed later in the paragraph. Thus, instead of toiling through the entire paragraph, a close reading of the topic sentence could save time.
5. Once you have marked all the points on the text, the next step is to jot them down under their respective topics. It has to be done in the form of phrases, which means every point should not be more than 5 to 6 words. You just have to pick the key words. This is called Note Taking. There is no need to lift the entire line from the original text (that is just a waste of time).
6. Summary writing means that the candidate has to select appropriate information from the text. Eliminate irrelevant information and be careful of the points repeated in the text but expressed in a different style.
7. Now cancel out any irrelevant point or check if you have written 2 points which mean the same. Avoid repetition because the examiner will not mark those  points which are repeated. Secondly, it would also give an impression to the examiner that the candidate has deliberately written them to complete the required number (15) of points.
8. After the points are written it is time to replace them with their appropriate synonyms which should fall close to the meaning used in the text. A vague replacement will be useless. Be sure to select synonyms which would express the same meaning as the original word.
9. Now weave these points in a sentence of your own words. The sentences are expected to be simple, short and pithy.
10. Use transition words like (next, moreover, thus, hence e.t.c) to create coherence in your sentences. Avoid repetition of ‘but’ and ‘and’.
11. It is not necessary to write your summary in paragraphs. The examiner wants to see how coherent and clear the information is to the reader.
12. Similarly, it is not important to follow the same sequence of the content points in your summary. There should be continuity of thought and can be added in any way.
13. There are times when more than 15 points could be extracted from the text. In that case it is not necessary to cover all those in your summary. The examiner will tick (√) on the points while going through your summary. Once the required number is complete the extra ones will be cancelled out.
14. Eliminate all quotes and examples from the original text. In a summary those are not required. Focus on the key points.
15. Your summary should be written in a formal register, with a use of correct grammar and precise vocabulary.
16. Proof read your summary to avoid any silly spelling mistakes.
17. Summary is often written in present tense.
18. No ‘I’ pronoun should be used in it.
19. Avoid all colloquial words or abbreviations.
20. Note: there is already a sentence of 10 words provided to begin with. Beware to write a summary of 150 words. Students often forget the beginning 10 words and exceed the word limit.
21. Summary should not be very short and should not be too long. A general notion is that a summarized passage is one fourth or one third of the original passage.
22. To have  a better understanding of the format also see my post on the”Example for Summary Writing” and ‘Fresh resource for summary writing’

Good luck!

Format for writing a Newspaper Article

Newspaper article are included in Paper 1, Section 1-Directed Writing for O-level English Language Paper. It carries 30 marks and the word count must be restricted to 300 words.

Format of a Newspaper Article

•  Heading:

A very catchy headline relevant to the information should be added at the start which you intent to discuss.

• Beginning:

The first sentence of the article has to be striking. It should instantly engage the reader’s attention. This is important to arouse the interest about the topic especially if your article is argumentative in nature. The first sentence may also anchor your opinion. Some effective openings could be as follows:

• A provocative statement (Drinking can help boost your imagination),
• Quotation (pen is mightier than sword),
• A direct question (How do you feel the virtual reality over shadowing your children’s imaginative faculties?),
• An unexpected claim (Technology is making humans more primitive),
• A succinct summary of a situation (Global warming is responsible for most of the earth environmental problems)

• Introduction:

Once the attention is grabbed the writer introduces the real purpose of the topic beginning with some general ideas relevant to his topic. And gradually broadens his theme. The beginning acts as a funnel starting from general to particular ideas of the topic.

• Body:

The writer should broaden his point through adding illustrations and examples to compare and collate certain points.

The body should be nicely paragraphed. Each paragraph must begin with an effective topic sentence or a thesis statement that would engage the reader with the forthcoming information.

All paragraphs must be linked with transition words.

• Ending:

Don’t end randomly. Try to avoid such obvious expression as In conclusion or To sum up. To conclude effectively, you might

ü  Refer back to an opening statement

ü  Look into the future

ü  Suggest a new angle

ü  Make an original observation

ü  Make a short definitive statement

ü  Quote a famous saying

ü  Make a humorous comment

• Subheadings:

Subheadings are added to break the article up and highlight some important things (facts, examples, quotes, proverbs e.t.c) which the writer wants the  readers find in the article.

• Sentence Structure:

Simple, compound and Complex sentences are used in newspaper articles. There is a variation in using different sentence structures so as to avoid monotony in style. This helps in keeping the reader’s interest intact.

Tips for 500-word Essays

500-words Essay writing tips

In O-level English paper 1, Composition section students are required to write a 500 words essay. Now writing a 500 word essay would seem a difficult task for students who lack practice and are not very well versed in English Language. Well, it is not that difficult a job if you understand a few technical ways of essay writing. Do not lose heart if you do not get immediate results. Good results will appear gradually with time, especially when learning a foreign language. You will need constant practice and read  through carefully some tips for writing 500 word essays.

How to write a 500-word Descriptive essay?

Like all other essays it is can be easily divided into three or four parts. Every part should aim to separately give a clear description of the objects, people, atmosphere or moods of the surroundings, personal emotions or events. Every paragraph should focus on one of the points mentioned above. The use of suitable metaphors or similes could further add detail explanation to the points under description.  To compare things associated to that particular point is a good way of adding variety to the description. Shift your focus.

How to write a 500-word Narrative essay?

Technically Narrative essays comprise of a beginning, complication, rise of the complication/climax and resolution. These are the basic components given in a simple way. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to follow the same sequence of the features as mentioned above in writing a narrative essay. However, if you are aware of these basic features then the division of the paragraphs and stretching it up the desired word count should not be a problem.

How to write a 500-word Discursive essay?

1. Your essay must have a strong introduction. There are many ways to begin your essay. You may begin with a famous quotation, or add some proverbs relevant to the topic or mention an incident from your personal experience, or even start by eliciting a question to draw the attention of the readers towards your thesis statement. Yes, whatever way you may choose to begin you must add a thesis statement.
2. A thesis statement is a short statement that actually summarizes the main point of your essay. The topic given in the examination is a very broad one, which means that many things could be written about it. So, think of as many possible sub topics you can and identify one thesis statement that you wish to discuss. Once you have decided your thesis statement keep only those sub topics that would support your thesis statement and eliminate the rest.
3. Body

• The body of your essay may have 3 or 4 main paragraphs. Each paragraph should discuss one main point beginning with a topic sentence in support of your thesis statement.
• Arouse emotions and feelings in the reader and share your experience about the topic being discussed.
• Give examples from newspaper reports, personal experience or statistical data that you have come across to validate your point.
• Always give a concluding statement/line to a paragraph that would reinforce your topic sentence. It can also touch upon some information coming up in the next paragraphs;

4.  Conclusion. Close your essay with a  60 or 50 words concluding paragraph. This must summarize and restate only the most notable ideas discussed in the body. Do not introduce a fresh point in the conclusion.

Follow these essay tips, read extensively different writing materials and practice. A good grade awaits on the way.

Some phrases, sentences and paragraphs for Letter to the Editor

Some useful phrases to include in the letter

• after reading your Sept. 29 article on
• cartoonist Harris Mehboob should be aware that
• an affront to those of us who
• did a slow burn when I read difference of opinion
• how can anyone state, as did Lala Zaidi (June 3), that fail to agree
• I agree wholeheartedly with
• I am horrified by the Ang. 11 report
• I am one of the many “misguided” people who was outraged by
• I am puzzled by the reference to the
• I am writing on behalf of long-term effects of
• I found the short story in your September issue to be
• I disagree with the Reverend Prime Minister premise Feb. 7)
• I must take issue with infuriating to see that
• I really enjoyed who said
• I take exception to the opinions expressed by
• I strongly object in response to a July 3 letter writer
• I was disturbed/incensed/ pleased/angry/disappointed to read that it seems to me letter writer Zulfiqar Bajwa’s suggestion (Aug. 9) was intriguing, but neglected to mention one side of the story
• on the one hand/on the other hand point in dispute
• read with great/considerable interest
• presented a false picture
• regarding Senator Sam Blundel’s new bill for the hearing-impaired recipe for disaster
• the article on women in trades did much to
• several letter writers have commented upon

SENTENCES

• A Dec. 9 writer is incorrect in saying that the Regional Transit Board was abolished several years ago; we are, in fact, alive and well.
• I am writing to express my appreciation for your excellent coverage of City Council meetings on the local ground water issue.
• I commend you for your Aug. 11 editorial on magnet schools.
• I disagree with Elizabeth Saunders’ Apr. 5 column on city-supported recycling.
• I look forward to seeing a published retraction of the incorrect information given in this article.
• In Daily Dawn Dec. 9 column on the living will, she uses statistics that have long since been discredited.
• In his December 1 Counterpoint, “Tax Breaks for the Rich,” Gerald Tetley suggests that out of fear of giving the rich a break, we are actually cutting off our noses to spite our face.
• I was disappointed that not one of the dozens who wrote to complain about the hike in municipal sewer rates noticed that the rates are actually lower than they were ten years ago.
• Many thanks for your unpopular but eminently sane editorial stand on gun control (July 2).
• Please consider the cumulative effect of such legislation on our children.
• Please do not drop Flora Lewis/Cal Thomas/Ellen Goodman/George Will from your editorial pages.
• Several important factors were omitted from your Apr. 6 article on wide area telephone service.
• The writer of the Mar. 16 letter against triple trailers seemed to have little factual understanding of semi-truck traffic and professional truck drivers.
• Your Aug. 3 editorial on workers’ compensation overlooked a a crucial factor.
• Your June 29 editorial on child care failed to mention one of the largest and most effective groups working on this issue.

PARAGRAPHS

• Has anyone noticed that the city has become overrun with dogs in the last several years? Most of these dogs have no collars and run in packs of five to eight dogs. If I had small children, I’d worry when they played outdoors Where have these dogs come from? Whose problem is it? The city council’s? The health department’s? The police department’s?
• Your story on the newest technology in today’s emergency rooms featured the views of hospital administrators, medical care-givers, and manufacturers’ representatives. Nowhere was a patient mentioned. Is overlooking the patient also a feature of today’s emergency rooms? (If it is, it’s not new.)
•  To those of you who have been expressing yourself in these pages about the presence of wild geese in the city parks: Hello! A park is supposed to be natural. It is not meant to be as clean as your kitchen floor.
•  It has messy leaves and gravel and bugs and, yes, goose grease. If you can’t handle nature in the raw, there’s always your back yard.
•  Count at least six women (the undersigned) who were outraged at your “news story” on the recently appointed Episcopalian bishop for our area. You devoted several lines early on in the story (thus implying their relative importance) to Ms. Dinah Morris’s clothes, hairstyle, and even the color of her fingernail polish. Do you do this for new male bishops?
•  There was an error in your otherwise excellent article about the Lamprey Brothers Moving and Storage. In addition to brothers Henry, Colin, and Stephen (whom you mentioned), there is also brother Michael, a full partner.
•  A flurry of letter writers urges us to rally against the proposed congressional pay raise. I wonder if they understand the protection that such a raise would give us against special interest groups. Let’s give this one a closer look. It may actually be a sheep in wolf’s clothing.
•  I commend Meg Bishop for the use of “people first” language in her Jan. 2 column. By using expressions such as “people with severe disabilities” rather than “the severely disabled” and “people with quadriplegia” rather than “quadriplegics,” Bishop helps change the way society views people with disabilities.

Directed Writing: Format of Speech Writing

Directed Writing: Format on Speech Writing.

1. Speeches are to inform, share, support or persuade your audience on certain topics/topic given to you in section 1- directed writing.
2. Beware that you have to write exactly how you speak before your audience. In  fact, it is the easiest in its writing style.
3. Start with opening your speech marks.”   “,or ‘     ‘ both are fine.
4. Begin with greeting your audience.Keep in mind the type of speech being delivered (formal or informal). Eg. ’Good morning friends’, ‘hello’, ‘greeting my dear fellow peers’, ‘good evening ma’am, respected teachers’ e.t.c.
5. A greeting should be followed by a brief introduction. E.g. ’My name is Sara and  I am representing my class…’,’I am a student of O-level and my name is Awab’,’I am speaking on behalf of my staff members or I hereby speak on behalf of my residential community’ e.t.c.(depending on the type of speech, either formal or informal).
6. Do not confuse it with a debate. (I happen to give a question on speech writing to my class, many students involved in debates, they commenced their speeches on the same lines as done in debates’ ‘The motion of the house is…’).
7. Proceed by informing the audience about the purpose of your speech. What is the speech about? ‘I am here with you to discuss/inform/share/ask your views about the raising  rates of the edibles at our school canteen’, ‘I would/will like talk on increasing issues on misconduct of my fellow peers on campus’ e.t.c.
8. Speech should be written in a way as it must be spoken. Thus, it is the only genre in directed writing where the candidate is permitted to experiment with the  pattern of sentence structure (SVO)  used as a standard in English language. e.g. ‘ On behalf of my class I would like to speak on some imperative issues  never discussed before.’ could be written as ‘There are some  imperative issues, never been discussed, ever, before here on campuson, so on behalf of my entire class, I would like to speak on those, today’.
9. A speech is a genre where the candidate can use the ‘ing’ form wherever he desire.e.g.‘I am speaking  here in front of you..’,’today we will be discussing…’,’I  am representing  my class…’.
10. In an informal speech the candidate can use ellipses of fillers to give it a realistic flavor. E.g. ‘hmm, Good morning! friends… my name is SSara’. The repetition of the letter  ‘s’ highlights a stress given by the speaker. And the speech begins with ‘hmm’, another technique that shows whether the speaker is hesitant or either preparing himself to begin his speech.
11.  Moreover,this technique may help to identifya sense of anxiety or tension projected in the speech. Furthermore, these are best suited in writing an informal speech.
12. NOTE:The fillers and ellipses should be used sparingly, otherwise, it would give an impression to the examiner that the candidate is deliberately using these tools to show the examiner of his awareness of this technique.
13. A speech must have rhetorical questions (those questions that do not make your audience think hard about something) to show the speaker is in immediate interaction with his audience. E.g. ‘I hope you understand what I mean?’, “I hope you all are doing well?’, ‘do you have any questions on this matter? I would love to answer those’.
14. Writing a speech does not permit you to add ‘slangs’ or any nonstandard form of English words like ‘I wanna talk too ya’,’you gotta luv it’,’Hiya chicks’.
15. Contractions are included. E.g.’ I’m here’ instead of ‘I am here’.
16. Certain colloquial words could only be included in an informal speech for instance ’hey fellas’, for ‘Hello fellow friends’, ‘This campus is great deal’, in place of, ‘This campus is a great place’.
17. In speech writing make use of exclamation marks. This would show stress being laid on some spoken words.
18. The candidate can italicize the words or use upper case like ‘ARE YOU with me!’. Other variations like underlining the sentence or a particular word would suggest a rise and fall in intonation of the speaker. And this would add a realistic feel to your speech.
19. Remember you have to write as if you are speaking to your audience at present.Hence, whatever you write must show as if you are infront of your audience and aware that speech writing differs from other forms of written genres in this respect.
20. End your speech by thanking your audience for listening to you.’Thank you all for being with me today.’ In an informal speech you could add a joke stating how the audience put had up with you for so long.
21. You may also end with asking them to present their queries on the matter.e.g. ‘would you like to ask some questions? I would appreciate to have a question answer session with you all’.
22. Another way of signing off can be by adding a ‘quote’
23. In the end a simple ‘Thank you and good evening’, ”Thank you and see you all again’ would do.
24. Remember not to exceed the word limit.
25. Do not forget to close the speech marks at the closing of your speech, students often tend to forget it in the end.

Worried about English Paper 2? Read what CIE Examiners have to offer.

Reading (Paper 2)-

50 marks
I hour 45 mins

 These tips contain useful advice and highlight some common mistakes made by students.They are collected under exam question sub-headings to help you focus on what is expected for Reading paper.

 Paper 2 Section 1- 25 marks

• Though this question is called Summary it is not a summary in the sense of being a general description of a situation but instead it is a focused list of the specific ideas or details contained in the passage, after anything irrelevant to the two questions has been removed.
i) read and underline relevant material; count that there are at least 15 points altogether,           and preferably 20 (fewer for Paper 1)
ii) transfer the points into a plan, whilst changing them into your own words
iii) group the points logically (using arrows/brackets); put them in order (using                                numbers), and decide which ones can be combined into one sentence
iv) write the summary in two paragraphs (one for Paper 1), using complex sentences
v) check the summary for accurate expression; adapt the length and improve if necessary by      adding material overlooked or by removing repetition.

 Remember that summaries never include:
 i) examples
ii) repetitions
iii) direct speech
iv) figurative language
v) minor details.

All these must be removed from the passage, and then you use only the facts, which are
what you have left.

 • Find all the points you can for each part of the question; do not stop when you get to 15 as these may not be the same ones the examiner has on their list. The only way to be sure of getting all 15 Reading marks is to use everything relevant.

 • To get all 5 Writing marks you need to show evidence of clear and concise summary style throughout, precise focus and the use of your own words.

 • Do not give your summary in the wrong form as this is penalised i.e. do not offer bullet points or a list, or write in the first person, or comment on the content of the passages, or present a narrative, or use quotation.

 • Though you must use your own words whenever possible, you do not have to find synonyms for technical objects e.g. solar heaters.

 • Both halves of the question are equally important and should be done in the same way and given the same length of about half a page.

 • Summaries much longer than half a page are no longer summaries and will be penalized in the Writing mark.

 • To be concise enough for summary style and to get in all the points you should use complex sentences containing two or three points in each.

 • Do not repeat points, or express them vaguely; (these will be given an R (repetition) or PNM (point not made) respectively in the margin, and discounted.

 • There is no need to introduce or conclude a summary, and doing so wastes time and words. Start by using the wording of part of the question e.g. ‘The features of the desert were…’

 • Notice exactly which part of the passage is to be summarised in the question and do not include information from other parts of the text.

 Do not forget that 10 words for the summary are already given, therefore try to keep the summary upto or leass than 150 words

 • Your summary must be in a paragraph of continuous writing, not as a list.

 • Use the bullets points to help you structure your piece of writing.

 • You are expected to develop the ideas contained in the passage, and add original details of your own, but your response should remain based on the passage and not stray too far from it. This is not a creative writing exercise.

• It will help you enormously to highlight the material you are going to use in the text, and then write a quick plan in order to organise it into a logical structure before you start writing your response. This will enable you to avoid repetition and to make sure you are fully answering the question.

• Use everything which is relevant, not just some of the material. On the other hand, there may be some parts which you should ignore because they are not covered by the question.

• You should not copy big chunks of text and you should use your own words when not actually giving details.

 • You can either integrate the two, e.g. advantages and disadvantages, or deal with them separately. You can decide on your own structure for your answer, but what matters is that there should be a structure of some kind, and one which the reader can discern.

 • If you are given bullet points to remind you what should be included, use them to check you have covered what is required, and they can also help you to structure your answer. The material from the passage should be put into the appropriate section and not repeated.

 Paper 2  question 2- 25 marks

 • Skim read the passage for gist before you look at the question. Then scan the passage to find the answer to each of the questions in turn.

 • Be aware that the questions are graded in an increasing level of difficulty.

 • The answers to the questions will be found in chronological order in the text.

 • Responding precisely to the wording of the question is very important in this part of the exam.

 • Notice how many marks there are for each question. This will help you to understand the length of the answer and the number of points required. Obviously the question with 2 marks is expecting more than the question with only 1 mark.

 • There is no need to repeat the whole of the question before beginning of your answer. ‘He means that…’ or ‘It is because…’ are enough to provide a grammatical introduction to your sentence.

 • Where you are asked to give a word or words you do not need to answer with a full sentence.

 • When you are asked to find words they are separate not consecutive words unless you are told otherwise. Do not give several words if asked only for one, even if you think there are other correct answers.

 • Notice which questions specifically ask you to use your own words and do not then repeat 
in your answer any of the words contained in the phrase to be explained.

source: cambridgestudents

tips for speech writing